Evaluating Keycloak as an identity server versus commercial solutions in multi-platform organizational environments

Quispe Salazar P.N.; Vereau Jacobo E.W. · Proceedings of the LACCEI international Multi-conference for Engineering, Education and Technology (2025) · DOI: 10.18687/leird2025.1.1.407

Resumen

This systematic review analyzed the effectiveness of Keycloak as a centralized identity server versus commercial solutions in organizations with multiple independent systems, evaluating benefits, challenges, and practical implementations in diverse organizational contexts. The Scopus and IEEE Xplorer databases were searched for articles published between 2020 and 2025, applying PRISMA criteria and PICOC analysis to select 40 studies that addressed Keycloak implementations and comparisons with commercial solutions. The narrative synthesis organized results by specific research questions related to organizational challenges, implementation, comparison, efficiency, and application contexts. The results demonstrate that Keycloak achieves significant reductions of 40–62% in identity management time, 68% in compromised credential incidents, and 60–80% in total cost of ownership compared to commercial solutions. Its modular architecture supports standard protocols (SAML 2.0, OpenID Connect, OAuth 2.0), facilitating integration with heterogeneous systems. It has been successfully deployed with 100 to 50,000+ users in government, education, healthcare, and enterprise sectors, maintaining response times of 200-300ms under high loads. It is concluded that Keycloak represents a viable and cost-effective alternative to commercial solutions, offering equivalent functional capabilities with greater flexibility and customization. Successful implementations require careful migration planning and specialized technical expertise. © LEIRD 2025.All rights reserved.

Instituciones: Universidad Tecnológica del Perú